Inevitable
by TheMaria
Summary: Everything in the past has led up to this. Change is inevitable
1. Prologue

Title: Inevitable  
  
Author: The Maria  
  
Category: Everwood, E/A with mention of E/L and C/A  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Everything in the past has led up to this. Change is inevitable.  
  
Disclaimer: I can only wish I owned these characters. But I don't the WB does, and Greg Berlanti, and Mickey Liddell do the lucky bums.  
  
Inevitable  
  
Prologue  
  
The surgery was a success, and that left Ephram once again alone. The princess had once again returned to her fallen knight, and anything that might have transpired between Ephram and Amy was now completely erased, in her mind that is. For him, everything was there in excruciating detail. It wasn't that Amy had forgotten, in fact it was quite the opposite. She remembered everything perfectly, and because of that the poor girl was so confused she didn't know what to do. So she did what everyone expected of her. Lately, however, she was starting to question that Guiniverian decision. You see, the more she got to know Colin, the more she came to realize that he wasn't the same exact Colin he used to be, the Colin she fell in love with. She still loved this Colin the Second, but not in the same way. She no longer felt like he was the love of her life. Now the way she felt about Ephram that was special. To Amy her lover for Ephram was like what she felt for Colin the First, of course with a uniqueness that only Ephram could have produced. And that was exactly her problem- how do you tell a guy who was comatose for months, who loved you twice, that you're in love with someone else? More so, how do you tell a guy you love someone else when you just pledged your undying love for him only a month ago? When she had said it, it was true, but since that moment in the hospital, when she realized Ephram was still looking out for her out of love, her heart had begun to change.  
Meanwhile Ephram was completely unaware of what was going on. He thought that she had forgotten everything about them, and it was tearing him up inside. Yet he realized it was his fault. He could have gone back to New York for the summer, but he had decided to stay. Partially because he wanted to be near her and partially because he believed Everwood was where his mom's spirit was. The more Ephram thought about it the more he regretted his decision. Not only would he have to see Colin and Amy together, he would also have to see Colin's sister Laynie. Ephram had no clue how he was going to be able to face her; after all, she had dumped him because he was still in love with Amy. This was going to be an interesting summer for the two love triangles of Everwood. 


	2. The Door

A/N: This is kinda short.sorry it's taken so long for me to update  
  
Chapter 1: The Door  
  
It was a bright, sunny summer morning when it started. Ephram was pouring himself some cereal when he heard the doorbell ring. Groggily he went to open it expecting to find, well he didn't know who he was expecting to find but it definently wasn't the person that was there.  
"Hey, Ephram," she said.  
"Laynie, what are you doing here?"  
"Uh well I just figured I should stop by and say hi, seeing we haven't talked." she explained, but didn't seem to finish her statement.  
"Since you dumped me? Yeah I know. If I remember right it was completely intentional too." He said a little more bitter than he had wanted.  
"Look I just figured that since we have the same friends we should try to make peace."  
"Same friends?" Ephram asked quizzically.  
"Yeah you know, my brother, Amy, and Bright," She said.he must be half asleep if he couldn't even remember that.  
"Ok you have a point there.we have A common friend, Amy..as for your brother, I don't think we're on good terms and Bright? His name really doesn't fit his personality." Laynie laughed at that.  
"Look, Ephram, I did have an ulterior motive in coming over here," She said to the ground.  
"Yeah and that would be?"  
"Colin, Bright, Amy and I are going to go on a road trip, and we wanted you to come with us," Laynie said.  
"Why?" Ephram said rather rudely, it was early and that meant that at the moment he wasn't a people person.  
"We each have our own reasons. Colin is sorry he was such an ass."  
"He was sick."  
"But he still feels bad, Ephram. And Bright is regretting not getting to know you earlier, he said you and him had some good conversations and games while waiting for Colin's surgery. Amy also feels bad for being so horrible to you," Laynie told.  
"And what about you, Laynie Hart? Why the hell would you want me to come?"  
"Just because I dumped you doesn't mean I don't want to be friends. I dumped you because you are in love with a girl who was in love with a guy who was in a coma. You and I both know that so I really don't think you have the right to be mad at me. You're the one who hurt me. You, Ephram Brown. Not me." Laynie felt oddly releaved, all the things she had been meaning to say for so long were not out on the table.  
"You know what, Laynie? I think I'm busy sorry." Ephram said shutting the door. Laynie looked at the door and sighed before turning away. 


	3. The Hart's

A/N: Italics aren't cooperating so I've replaced all thoughts with asterisk (*).

At the Hart's

"What'd he say?" Amy asked eagerly, barley giving Laynie a chance to get inside.

"He said no," The brunette simply stated.

"Why?" Bright asked surprised and disappointed.  He was upset that Ephram had declined the invitation because he really wanted to see what it was about "The Kid From New York" that always made his sister cheer up.  

Laynie just kept quiet.  She really didn't want to tell the others about the words exchanged between her and Ephram…some things were just too personal.  Although she knew that a large part of Ephram's reason for not going was because he didn't want to see Amy and Colin together, she couldn't help feeling a little responsible.  But of course that was buried in the depths of her carefully hidden soul.

"You can't really blame the guy," Colin said after his sister's silence.  "We haven't been treating him too great."

Amy was about to speak up but decided against it.  She had treated Ephram the worst of the four people sitting in the Hart's living room at that moment.  She had ripped his heart out and she had crushed said heart repeatedly, yet he still always ended up by her side when she needed him the most.

*Why?* she asked herself.  *Because he loves you* was the answer.  She knew that.  She had known that since Ephram had.  And she loved him back.  But she also loved Colin and so she had chosen Colin because he needed to be saved, and whether or not she wanted to or admitted it, she needed to be saved as well. She needed to be saved by the only person who ever could save her- Ephram Brown and that thought scared her completely.  She was perfect, she was the heroine of the town, homecoming queen, and that had left her so very lost and empty.  But no matter how scared she was of facing reality, that voice inside her kept nagging her to lose her fears and turn for salvation, and with each passing day it grew louder and louder.  That's why she was relieved when Ephram had said he wouldn't go.  That nagging voice was to the point where it was almost impossible to suppress and she knew she'd live out her worst fears if she were to be trapped in a car with him for a very long time.  Everwood's Dark Prince had turned her world upside down once, and now that she had it back to where she had it, she wasn't about to let it end up upside down again.  No Ephram was bad for her.  Ephram would bring her out of her own coma.  Ephram was the only thing she had ever truly wanted or needed.


End file.
